New Apple TV has hidden implications

The new Apple TV might have been a no-brainer for those of our readers without previous generations, but when it came to those looking at the 3rd generation for an upgrade it seems hard to understand why you should? Apple tag the new Apple TV 3 as offering “the best HD content“, and push the idea of HD in 1080p that’s powered by a new A5 processor rather than the A4 found in the second generation.

Clicking update on an existing Apple TV might be the only change needed – not everyone would enjoy the new software found on the latest Apple TV, but if you want to try it and have a second-generation device you can do so by going into general options and clicking update. Within a few minutes you’ll have downloaded the latest software that adds a touch of traditional iOS with bigger buttons.

You can see a video below this article that gives you a visual look at the new software found on 3rd gen Apple TV’s and the latest software update, although it doesn’t seem much more than a cosmetic makeover, until you look further and see a future plan might be underway with this latest update. This idea has been raised in this article, which states that Apple has included “one interesting business deal” that allows you to sign up with Netflix within the new software interface and pay via your iTunes account.

Another popular blog has also looked at the implications for other subscription services and what the future might hold, although it’s very rare to see Apple hand over customer billing to any 3rd party and can set the stage for more changes in the near future, which you can read more about here. With Apple giving their seal of approval it could help 3rd parties create more sales, but would you be sold on this idea and like the ability to sign-up via Apple TV and get billed via iTunes?

Have a watch of the hands-on video below and let us know your thoughts on Apple TV’s new interface in the comments.